MTV Names New Head of Programming After Janollari Steps Down

MTV has a new head of programming after David Janollari, who held the post for the past two years, stepped down, the Los Angeles Times reports.

The cable network named Susanne Daniels — formerly a top exec at both Lifetime and the WB Network — as its new president of programming, the piece reports. MTV said Janollari’s decision to leave was his own.

“In Daniels, MTV gets a programmer who has a strong track record in finding shows aimed at teens and young adults,” the piece notes. “Among the shows Daniels championed in her WB days were the dramas ‘Dawson’s Creek,’ ‘Gilmore Girls,’ ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’ and ‘Charmed.’ At Lifetime, Daniels was instrumental in the development of its hits ‘Army Wives’ and ‘Drop Dead Diva.’"

More recently, Daniels was a consultant with Oprah Winfrey’s OWN cable network.

Van Toffler, president of MTV Music and Logo Group, said: “Susanne’s delivered more breakthrough pop culture hits in one decade than most producers do in their entire lifetimes."

Daniels will report to Toffler and MTV President Stephen Friedman, the Times notes.

“Daniels’ specialty is teen-angst drama, while MTV has found its biggest successes in recent years in over-the-top reality shows such as ‘Jersey Shore,’ ‘Teen Mom’ and ‘16 and Pregnant,’ and, of course, ‘The Real World,’” the story reports. “But some of those shows are getting a little long in the tooth and ‘Jersey Shore’ is in its last season. The cult hit about a group of young mostly Italian Americans who live for the gym, clubs and spray tans has spawned one spinoff — ‘Snooki and JWoww.’ However, that show has failed to capture the magic of ‘Jersey Shore.’"

Janollari oversaw efforts by MTV to expand into scripted series after joining the channel in 2010. “One of the network’s biggest gambles was a remake of the British hit ‘Skins,’ about a group of promiscuous and hard-partying teens,” the story reports. “MTV’s version of ‘Skins’ got a lot of attention from media watchdogs who thought it went too far in terms of content but did not attract a large audience and was canceled after one season.”

Janollari also gave a push to "Awkward" and "I Just Want My Pants Back,” among other programs.